Migration Gravel Race Results: Sarah Sturm and Hans Becking Celebrate Overall Victory in the Maasai Mara
Source: Velo
Author: Betsy Welch
MAASAI MARA, Kenya (Velo) - Nearly 200 riders from 35 countries celebrated the conclusion of an adventure of a lifetime at the Migration Gravel Race on Friday. The four-day gravel stage race wrapped up after four grueling stages that saw riders battling more challenging conditions than normal due to flood-ravaged roads.
Sarah Sturm and Hans Becking were the top pros after four days of racing, while Xaverine Nirere and Tsgabu Grmy of Team Amani took home the best African rider jerseys.
Friday's 160 kilometer stage treated riders to expansive views and numerous animal sightings. After the challenging mud of stage 1 and technical terrain of stage 2, many riders took the final day of the race to enjoy the scenery and celebrate the week's effort.
Sturm and Luise Valentin, who finished second overall, were two of them.
"We saw a giraffe and were like, 'should we stop?' and course we did," Sturm said.
Nevertheless, both women put in a solid effort on the final day. Sturm admitted that she didn't have much gas in the tank and did all she could to stay on Valentin's wheel. Valentin, on the other hand, said she could have gone harder but was enjoying riding with Sturm. She would have had to make up 20 minutes to take the GC from the Coloradan.
Maddy Nutt finished third overall. The Brit was second last year and said that this year's edition was much more challenging given the course conditions and competition.
In the men's race, Becking and Lukas Baum took an early lead during stage 4, riding together until Baum flatted with 25k to go. Becking powered to the line solo, followed by Mattia de Marchi and Chad Haga.
At the finish line, Becking said that whatever happened in the GC, his trip to Kenya -- which included a week of training with Baum and Lawrence Naesen in Iten ahead of the race -- was memorable enough.
"Lukas won two stages, I won one, Lawrence won one, we had a super fun week," he said. "It doesn't matter what happens in the overall, we had a super fun week and enjoyed Kenya a lot, and I think that's the most important part."
About 10 minutes after Becking crossed the line, Mattia de Marchi and Chad Haga crossed together. It was an emotional finish for both the Italian and the American.
Haga, who was out of podium contention, dedicated his day to working with de Marchi, who finished second at the Migration in 2022 and fourth last year.
"I knew I was out of the GC race but Mattia has worked super hard all week and it's been a really good week with him and the Enough [Cycling] crew," Haga said. "I can call him a friend now and I wanted to do everything I could to see if he could hold on [to the GC]. We gave it a good shot, it was just unbelievably hard."
From Cape Epic champions to former WorldTour pros, everyone who competed at this year's Migration Gravel Race said that the event was one of the hardest they'd ever done. Nevertheless, the bonds forged over four days of riding, camping, and commiserating in the Maasai Mara helped ease the painful parts.
As the Maasai men who worked as motorcycle drivers and support staff gave their final blessing by the Mara River on Friday evening, smiles trumped scars. Registration for the 2025 Migration Gravel Race will open in September.